Beauty hacks, beauty hacks. I used to love them, until I realized a lot of them are f*cking terrible. Who would have thought that your typical beauty influencer putting deodorant on her face as primer was all for VIEWS and not to help us out?! From making masks with products that we are supposed to digest to whipping up homemade creations and calling it skin care, not all beauty hacks/DIY are good for you! I’ll tell you hacks that are actually worth it another day, but today let me tell you the ones that AIN’T SH*T and are bad for you. Shall we?
1. Tape For Perfect Winged Eyeliner
So many people use this as a beauty hack, because everyone wants a perfect winged liner. This hack used to be the bomb. Sure, it works—but is it good for you? I can’t tell you how many times tape has made my eyes water or smudged my work. On that note, have you ever irritated your eyes because how sharp that f*cking tape is? We put it so close to our eyes!
I also know as humans, we all do our makeup routine differently: I do my face makeup first and the move onto my eyes, but I have seen people do the complete opposite. If you do your eyes first, this might not be an issue, but for me honey, THE TAPE PULLS MY FOUNDATION OFF. Do you know long it takes to become a bad bitch just for this dumb-ass hack to rip it off??
Instead, I figured out that using a business card or an old gift card can give me the same sharp look, without ruining my makeup and making my eyes water. You won’t get my masterpiece snatched away from me! Also, using all that tape is such a waste!
2. Heating Up Your Eyelash Curler With A Blowdryer
We do a lot of things wrong when it comes to our eyes. Heat and your eyes just don’t mix. I know so many people who do this, so maybe I can change someone’s life right now and be an icon. I used to do this, so don’t think I’m just talking sh*t. I have ripped out many an eyelash doing this, and I’ve learned my lesson.
When you heat up a curler with the heat from the blowdryer, you might get a nice curl in the moment, but it’s really just burning your lashes off. Not only is a hot curler bad for your lashes, but it’s also dangerously close to your lids, and your actual eyeballs. Why risk damaging your eyes for lashes that won’t even last? Say you’re sorry to your lashes if you have ever done this, and RIP to the lashes we took for granted and lost along the way.
3. Using Actual Glitter As Eyeshadow
I love sparkles. I love being glittery every time I go out. But do I like using glitter that’s supposed to be used for arts and crafts on my eyelids? No, I don’t, and neither should you. Those little flecks can have incredibly sharp edges, and a piece of non-cosmetic grade glitter can not only scratch your eye, it can possibly damage it or the skin on the underside of the lid.
If you’re putting it anywhere near your face, you should only be using cosmetic-grade glitter. Cosmetic glitter usually has rounded edges, so there’s a much lower risk of problems. I know saving a few bucks seems like a great idea, but it’s better to just invest in a good glitter meant for your eyes instead of possibly damaging them.
4. Using Mouthwash To Remove Dead Skin
Another big trend/beauty hack that went around was using mouthwash to get rid of dead skin. This is so terrible for your skin. I mean, mouthwash literally has alcohol in it! The heavy amount of alcohol in mouthwash can actually cause redness and peeling, and can burn off an entire layer of skin. That in and of itself should prove how terrible it is. There are tons of good ways to get rid of dead skin, but mouthwash is not the answer. Let’s stick to using mouthwash for having good breath and not to damage our skin.
5. The Kylie Jenner Challenge
Now, I’m no doctor, but I can still use common sense to figure out when something isn’t healthy. Remember a few years ago, when the infamous Kylie Challenge was completely viral? Yikes. I never did this challenge, but it’s only because of all of the terrible stories I heard! I saw stories of this hack damaging lips for weeks at a time. By sucking on a bottle to create a vacuum, you could end up with swelling, broken blood vessels, and even cuts on your skin. This challenge/beauty hack was inspired by Kylie, but I don’t fault her for so many people doing it. She even apologized for it becoming viral. Obviously, now we all know that Kylie got lip fillers, and her look had nothing to do with sucking on a Gatorade bottle.
Now I know a lot of people think that this hack went away. Sadly, no. Instead, companies have made specific lip suction cups to do this same hack with. Now, just because it’s not a Gatorade bottle doesn’t mean it’s automatically good for you. It can still damage your lips and skin. Is it worth it? NO!
What’s the bottom line? While some beauty hacks can be helpful, most of the time, you should be using actual beauty products as your beauty products. It’s fun to find other uses for things you have lying around the house, and you might save some money in the short term, but dealing with f*cked up lips, scratched skin, and/or damaged eyes is way less fun.
Images: Malvestida Magazine / Unsplash; Giphy (5)
Summer is hands down the best (and betchiest) season for many reasons: day drinking, tans, cute summer clothes—I don’t need to convince you. But let’s be honest, summer has its downsides. It’s the little things, like feeling the need to shave every five seconds because your legs are always on display, and then shaving so much you end up irritating your skin, and having those awful bumps around your bikini area. The worst. It can also be really tricky to navigate how much makeup is too much at a beach party. Also, a sun-kissed glow may be easy for some to achieve naturally, but for others, it can end in a disaster (sunburn). I am the latter. Since we deserve to flaunt what we’ve got in the summer without botching our skin, we asked celebrity makeup artist Carrie LaMarca, who has worked with top models like Ashley Graham and Emily Ratajkowski, for her best summer beauty hacks.
What are your top tips for achieving glowing, smooth skin?
Glowing skin is my favorite, and there are several steps I take to achieve that. One: drinking lots of water is key! Second, I strongly advise using a power serum. Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C serum is my current must-have product. It evens out your skin tone and brightens and plumps fine lines all in one, leaving your skin supple and glowing. Finally, I always make sure that my face is free of any “peach fuzz,” because this helps your foundation to go on super smooth and even. For this, I love the Clio Beautytrim, a personal facial groomer, which is super gentle and small enough to keep in my makeup bag.
What’s the one thing we should be doing this summer to avoid ingrown hairs, bumps, and redness?
A big way to avoid ingrown hairs is to exfoliate before you shave. It helps to soften and loosen the hair, making it easier to get a clean, smooth shave. For bumps and redness, it helps if you use witch hazel on the area after shaving, and follow up with a light moisturizer.
What’s the one item you have to have in your beauty bag when working with celebs?
My number one, can’t-live-without item is the Cle De Peau concealer sticks. They are expensive but worth every penny! They work wonders on covering any red spots and under eye circles and are so lightweight and smooth that they look like your skin.
What’s the craziest beauty bind you’ve gotten into behind the scenes at a Sports Illustrated shoot, and how did you fix it?
This wasn’t a Sports Illustrated shoot, but it was a swimwear shoot, and somehow the model didn’t get the memo and showed up unshaven “down there!” Thankfully, I always keep the Clio bikini trimmer in my kit! I make sure to pack it for swim or underwear shoots because it quickly removes hair, but doesn’t leave any redness or irritation that shaving with a razor can cause. I was able to clean her up quickly and got her right on set to start shooting. Crisis averted!
Any cool summer beauty hacks you can share for those of us who will be showing off our legs all summer?
A tan always makes your legs look better, so I’d recommend using a self-tanner like St. Tropez—one of my faves. But if you are too scared to commit to tanning yourself, or if you’re in a last minute pinch, mix some of your foundation with your body lotion, and it works great for evening out the skin tone on your legs and covering up any redness.
As a top celebrity makeup artist and skincare expert, Carrie LaMarca has worked to prep top models like Nina Agdal, Ashley Graham, and Emily Ratajkowski for their close-ups. From shoots on exotic beaches to the catwalk, Carrie is a pro when it comes to grooming and keeping the skin looking camera-ready.
In case the world wasn’t already going to shit, apparently now your makeup could be sabotaging your Instagram photos. So should I just step in front of a moving car now or?
So if you were hoping to be the next face of hair vitamins or laxative teas on Instagram then listen up betch, because here’s a full list of all the ways you’re fucking up your Instagram photos with your makeup choices. You’re welcome.
1. Over-Powdering And/Or Skipping Powder
Unless you are the next face of Maybelline, you need to powder your fucking face. But not, like, too much or your skin will look start to look flat and dull. Ew. To appear fresh-faced and like you didn’t just spend last night making work happy hour your bitch, only powder the t-zone area of your face, i.e. your nose, forehead, and chin.
2. Not Matching Your Base To Your Face Makeup
This is a rookie mistake that is only acceptable to make your freshman year of college and that one time in Miami you got too drunk by the pool and just said fuck it when you were getting ready to go out. THOSE ARE THE ONLY TIMES. Because even though you might think you look fine you fucking don’t. So for god’s sake, make sure you blend your foundation down your face, neck, and chest because no one wants to see that shit.
3. Doing The Most With Your Eyebrows
PSA: Those eyebrows that you spent an embarrassing amount of time sculpting this morning might make you look like Olivia Culpo up close, but from afar you look like you should be preforming at a drag brunch. For selfies and your Bumble profile picture stick to the opaque and overly sculpted look, but for group photos and, like, life maybe go with a fuller, fluffier brow.
4. Going Batshit With Your Highlighter
There is a fine line between “gorgeous glow” and “dear god you’re blinding my eyes with what’s happening on your cheekbones rn.” Too much highlighter can emphasize uneven texture and the size of your pores. Dab a cream highlighter like RMS Beauty Living Luminizer on the tops of your cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and inner tear ducts. Avoid at all costs the center of your cheek and forehead or I will fucking call you out for it.
5. Being Stingy With Your Mascara
Tbh I feel like this one is sort of elementary, but don’t be stingy with your mascara. Short, straight lashes can make the eyes look tired AF. Makeup artists suggest curling lashes for at least 30 seconds and then applying several coats of carbon black mascara to lock in the curl. Or you could just buy eyelash extensions like a fucking adult.
6. Ghosting
And, no, I’m not talking about your Bumble boyfriend who just fell off of the face of the earth after you used the term “monogamy” for the first time. I’m talking about the kind of ghosting where you’re in the club and it’s too dark to take a selfie so you turn on the flash and all of the sudden you look paler than Anne Hathaway at the beach. You can blame the SPF in your moisturizer/foundation for that. If you’re trying harder than a former Bachelor contestant to get likes on a photo, then maybe go for a foundation with a lower SPF rating. Or just use a weird Instagram filter to make you look “artsy.” Idk seems to be working for Kim Kardashian these days.
